The Spaces Between
by Shakespeare's Lemonade
Summary: Rose finds that in the parallel universe, there is a parallel Doctor. He looks the same as when she first met him, but he's not hers. He's someone else. But he may be her only chance to get back home, back to her Doctor. Nine/Rose, Ten/Rose. NOW COMPLETE.
1. Silence

The Spaces Between

Shakespeare's Lemonade

Rating: T

Genre: Adventure/Romance

Summary: Rose finds that in an alternate universe, there is an alternate Doctor. He looks the same as when she first met him, but he's not hers. He's someone else. But he may be her only chance to get back home, back to her Doctor.

Pairings: Nine/Rose, Ten/Rose

A/N: Alternate universe where the Ninth Doctor exists in the parallel universe where Rose was stuck, but because Rose didn't exist in that world, he never met her. This also takes place near the end of season four, but before the events with the Master.

This story is complete, so I will be updating chapters regularly. It's also my first Doctor Who fic, so I look forward to hearing what readers thing.

Finally, thanks to my friend Kex3 for beta reading, and also to Cheyla from the Underground Fanfictioners group.

**Chapter One "Silence"**

_"The silence isn't so bad till I look at my hands and feel sad 'cause the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly."~Owl City_

Rose was becoming accustomed to silence. She hated that she was falling into a routine without him. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She was going to stay with him forever, however long that was. Sometimes, she had to laugh because it never could have lasted. He was over nine hundred years old, while she had been a mere nineteen, and he still would have lived centuries or millennia beyond her. She may have had enough love for him to stay until she died, but she would have died eventually. Even he couldn't have stopped that.

The unfairness of it all was being separated by something other than death. The Doctor had said that the emptiness between universes was silent. Rose had narrowly escaped that fate, but she still lived in silence. Everything but his voice was white noise, a non-sound.

She had her mum and dad and baby brother. It wasn't enough. Maybe Rose was selfish-she didn't doubt it-but he needed her too, the Doctor. They were better together, but now they never would be again. As miserable as she was, Rose thought it must be worse for him. Eventually, her finite life would come to an end; his existence could go on forever, to the end of the universe, if there ever were one.

Still, the days went on almost the same as they had before Rose ever met the Doctor. She worked in a shop, came home to her family, went to sleep, and then did it all over again. Exactly the life she had abandoned when the Doctor offered to take her with him that night they destroyed the plastic monster. She had never regretted it. Even now, living in this other world, Rose didn't wish she had never met the Doctor. She only wished she could get back to him.

At first she had thought it would be better when he left his half human clone with her. He was almost the same person, and he needed her to keep him alive. But she had failed. She wasn't enough. He died anyway. It wasn't like the first time she had watched him die. It was slow and miserable. There was a lot of blood. Rose had never seen so much blood.

That was why she felt the need to find him again. The loneliness that had crippled her before returned with full force. She needed him as much as he needed her. But the rift had been closed. Time and space had been set right, or mostly so. The only thing wrong was that the Doctor and Rose were alone, and no one could bring them together again.

**~oOo~**

After the Doctor clone died, Rose left Torchwood. She had been able to carry on when she had lost him the first time, but this was different. He was human, and he was dead. He had never really been her Doctor, but he remembered her, and he needed her. Now, she had no reason to keep fighting. Her Doctor would have been disappointed at the idea of Rose giving up, but she couldn't bring herself to care anymore. Without him, all her efforts to save the world seemed meaningless.

And they didn't really need her. She had only worked for Torchwood to be close to him, or feel as if she were. Now, she knew she would never be near him again. He would go on in another universe without her, saving the day as he always did.

Rose went back to work in the shop. It seemed fitting to return to the life she had before she knew him. It was as if he had never existed, as if she had lived all her life in this universe, doing this job, all the while feeling as if her soul had been ripped from her body, that she would never be whole again.

It was dark, and the lights from the zeppelins cast a strange golden glow on the city. Rose had just left work and was walking along toward home. She lived on her own now in a little flat in her old neighbourhood from her proper universe. It wasn't the same, but it was close.

No one ever came near Rose, almost as if they knew she shouldn't be there. She didn't fear walking home alone at night because everyone gave her a wide berth. Somehow, her mother had managed to fit into this world, but Rose never could. Maybe it was better to be alone.

The streets got darker as she left the centre of London behind. Everything was quite to Rose's mind, until she saw a man step into her line of sight and heard his voice.

"Excuse me, I seem to be lost; where is this?" he asked.

Rose came closer to him, not believing her ears. "Doctor?"

He stared at her with no recognition in his eyes. He wasn't her Doctor. He couldn't be. This was a parallel universe where he existed before the purely aesthetic reading glasses, suit and trench coat, and Chuck Taylors. He was the first Doctor she met, but he wasn't hers.

"You don't know me, do you?" Rose wouldn't cry. She had lost him along time ago. This was only a ghost.

"Should I?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in that way of his, crossing his arms with the sound of creaking leather.

She shook her head. "No. That was in another world. I don't exist in this universe."

He frowned. That had caught his attention. "What do you mean, 'in this universe'?"

"I'm from a parallel world. My name's Rose Tyler. In that world, I traveled with you. But I'm stuck here now, and you-the other you-is back there all alone."

The Doctor who wasn't her Doctor shook his head. "Travel between universes is impossible."

"No it's not. Just very difficult, and ill advised."

"Now that sounds like something I would say."

"Yes, I know."

"You're telling the truth." He seemed mildly surprised.

"Of course I am. And you're not him, are you? You're different."

"Yes. I suppose it's only logical that if there are alternate universes, there are alternate versions of me. But you recognised me, so he must be similar."

"He was. When I met him, he looked like you, but then he had to regenerate."

"What happened?"

"There were Daleks involved. I don't think I should tell you. Might cause reality to collapse or something." Rose gave off a nervous laugh.

"The Daleks are extinct-well, maybe not in that universe. But if that's the case, is my-"

"What?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter. You shouldn't tell me because that's not my life."

"Right. Maybe-and this may not sound like something you want to do-but maybe you could help me get home?"

"How would I do that?"

"I don't know. There was a rift, but you-he closed it. Maybe there's another one out there somewhere."

"And what about the idea of universe hopping being difficult and ill advised?"

"Since when do you care about that?"

"You do know me, Rose Tyler."

Rose felt her heart beat faster as he said her name. She struggled to control the emotions that clamoured to get out. "So how does it sound?" she asked.

He smiled, and Rose resisted the inclination to melt. "Fantastic."

**~oOo~**

The Doctor wasn't sure he liked the idea of stopping by Rose's parents' house before they started off on their search for this alternate universe. He didn't mind taking Rose with him. She seemed like someone he could get on with, which made him believe her story about knowing his alternate self. But family? That was an area the Doctor tried to avoid at all costs.

"Mum will remember you," Rose said as they walked across the Tyler's lawn toward the front of the mansion. "The two of you were at each other's throats a bit, but I think she's gotten over it now. I think she liked the next regeneration."

The Doctor didn't say anything. He wasn't the person they remembered. He wouldn't be hanging around long. He'd help Rose get back to her time. It was part of his job, really. And he liked the idea of helping another version of himself get some sort of happy ending, temporary as it may turn out to be.

They went right into the house, and Rose called out for her parents. A woman's voice echoed down the stairs, and Jackie Tyler came into view with a small child on her hip.

"I wasn't expecting you tonight. What-" She stopped short, standing at the top of the stairs, her son squirming in her arms as she stared at the Doctor. "Don't tell me he's turned time on its head again."

"No, Mum," Rose said with a light smile. "He's the Doctor from this world."

Jackie looked like she might have smacked her own forehead had her arms not been full. "Why didn't we think of that?"

Rose shrugged. "I didn't exist here either. Any number of things could have happened."

"So are you going off again?"

"We're going to try to find a way back for me."

"What are you talking about? Back where?"

"Back home, back to the proper Doctor." Rose cast a glance toward the Doctor. "No offence."

"None taken," the Doctor said.

Jackie shook her head as she descended the steps. "He left you here, Rose. What about your family?"

"He left me with his clone. He thought he needed me more. But he's dead, Mum. I've got nothing left here. You know that."

"It's always him above everything else," Jackie muttered.

"It always has been." There was sympathy in Rose's voice, but not a hint of faltering.

Jackie's expression softened. "Tony will never get to know you."

"He'll have you and Dad." Rose sounded firm now. "I have to do this, Mum."

Jackie nodded. Then she turned to the Doctor and frowned. "Now, you better take care of her. And not like you did last time, either. No death, no paradoxes. If anything happens to her, I'll find you."

The Doctor didn't bother to mention the ridiculousness of that notion. He only nodded. "I'll take good care of her."

Rose said her goodbyes to her family, and it was all very emotional. The Doctor tried not to pay attention. He was getting a little anxious to be on their way, not that he knew where they were going. Ever since the Time Lords died, there had been no crossing between universes. Rose talked as if it would be easy, and she would know better than he would which was a strange sensation. Everything about Rose made him feel strange, as if he should know her, as if he should care. And that was probably the real reason he wanted to help her get back to where she belonged. Because another version of himself did care about Rose. She mattered to him, and he would do everything in his power to send her home.


	2. Imagination

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts. And of course, thank you to my awesome beta reader, Kex3.**

**Chapter Two "Imagination"**

"_Reality is for those who lack imagination."~Unknown_

"I don't suppose you've decided _how _we're going to cross the void," the Doctor said.

Rose was busy looking around the inside of the TARDIS. It was a little different than she remembered. Just a different knob here, a missing lever there. She wondered what else might be different.

"Hmm?" she said.

"Getting from here to there. It's not a trip to the other end of the universe. Much more complicated."

"Yes, I know that. I've done it before, but there has to be a rift. A weak spot we can sneak through."

"You make it sound so simple."

"It's not. It's just-important."

"I suppose with a bit of imagination and some very good luck, we may just find you a nice little rift to slip through. Where was the last place you crossed over?"

"Norway. Dårlig Ulv Stranden."

"That's as good a place as any to start." The Doctor calibrated the TARDIS and pulled the lever with that excited grin on his face.

Rose grabbed a hold of the railing and listened to the sound that had haunted her dreams. Sometimes, she would wake up at night and hear it. She would rush outside, only to see the streets deserted as they always were. She held on, though, to that sound. Rose didn't get much sleep any more.

But all that was about to change. They were back in Norway. They would find a way to return to her world. As she stepped outside and smelled the sea air, Rose was reminded of her last visit here. She never thought she would return. She really had meant to live the rest of her life with one version of her Doctor. The original had so precisely organised his departure to keep her from missing him. He had made sure she would want to be with the metacrisis. It had worked for a while. He had loved her, and she had loved him, but now he was gone, and the hole in her life was back, reminding her that she had only ever loved one man. The Doctor. The one and only.

It was still night, and the beach was grey in the moonlight while the sea looked black. The wind was sharp, causing Rose to shiver. Or perhaps that was more from a sense of dread. She didn't know what she was looking for or what to do when she found it. And what if she forced the rift open again and all of reality collapsed?

Rose continued to shiver.

The Doctor was silent as he walked down the beach. He seemed to be looking for something too. His eyes penetrated the darkness as he scanned the area around them. He didn't seem to notice anything. And why should he? For all Rose knew, this was just a normal beach again, no space/time anomalies, no gateways to lead her home.

"Aha!" the Doctor exclaimed so suddenly that Rose jumped a little. "Over here!"

Rose rushed across the damp sand to see what he was looking at. When she reached him, she only saw a scattering of flat rocks covered in algae.

"What's so special about that?" she asked.

"The algae. Look at it." The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, as if to confirm his suspicions.

"Looks like normal ocean scum."

"Of course it would. To you. That's it! You don't see it because this is normal for you. But in this universe, we don't have this particular variety of algae. It looks normal enough, but it's molecular structure is completely foreign. And it's not very happy."

"The scum isn't happy?"

"Be nice. It just wants to go home. Like you. It doesn't belong here, and the universe seems to know that. Can you see there? It's dying. It won't last much longer."

"Did we bring it with us then?"

"Probably. Or it came through the rift on its own somehow."

Rose had to try very hard not to laugh. It was algae. What good would that do them?

"We should take a sample of it," the Doctor said. "Maybe it can help us find a way to your world."

"It's a plant."

"Actually, this is a form of bacteria. Not even technically algae. I'll just be a minute."

The Doctor ran back to the TARDIS. He seemed excited about something for the first time since Rose met him in the street. She still wasn't sure what good bacteria were going to do them, but she would wait and see. Maybe it really did want to get home as much as she did.

Rose reached out and brushed her fingers against the rock. Some of the algae came off on her fingers, and it felt strangely warm. She couldn't be sure in the dark, but it looked almost as if it might be growing. Before she knew it, the green substance was covering her hand. Rose stood up straight and let out an undignified shriek.

The Doctor came running back, carrying a large sack. "What's wrong?" he asked.

By this time, the algae was growing up Rose's arm. "It's all over me!" she said. "What's it doing?"

The Doctor's eyes widened, and he grabbed his screwdriver. After a quick once over, the algae began to shrivel up and fall off. Rose only relaxed when the last of it was off her skin.

"I only touched it once," she said.

"Don't touch it at all," the Doctor replied. "It knows you're from its world. It's lost and alone."

"Are you telling me a bacteria has feelings?"

"_Bacteria have_. The word is plural."

"Now you sound like _him_."

"Didn't I before?"

"No, he changed, remember? New face, new idiosyncrasies."

"Recognising the significance of subject/verb agreement is not an idiosyncrasy."

"Fine. What are you going to do with that?" Rose gestured at the sack.

"I'm going to try to take the algae back home. Here." The Doctor handed Rose a second container. "Go get some water. They'll need it."

Rose followed instructions, still confused about how a non-sentient life form could recognise her as being from its world when she couldn't recognise it. Maybe she was too focused on the mechanics of it all to let her gut instincts have a say. It was so hard to find a balance between what made sense and what simply had to be believed because it was true.

In any case, Rose would not be touching any more bacteria or algae or whatever it was.

**~oOo~**

Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor had set up an aquarium of sorts for the algae-covered rocks. He made sure it was out of Rose's way, and he was quite proud of himself. It almost felt like having a pet, not that he was terribly experienced in that area. This was probably more like a biology experiment. He didn't know exactly how, but he was sure the bacteria would lead them to Rose's world. They would automatically be attracted toward anything familiar, like they had been with Rose, and thus, they would be able to "tell" the Doctor when they were getting close.

Probably.

Meanwhile, Rose was sitting in the doorway of the TARDIS, watching the sunrise as it began to turn the sky pink and cast golden light over the water. She had been very quiet ever since they collected the algae, and the Doctor wasn't about to ask what was bothering her. It would have been a stupid question anyway. She was trapped in a parallel world, separated from someone who seemed to be very important to her. The Doctor was trying not to analyse that relationship. He didn't want to know that Rose was in love with another version of himself, and he didn't want to know how his other self felt about her. The goal was to get her back, not get to know her. It could cause problems.

Of course, the Doctor had never been one to follow the rules or stay on the safe side. He glanced back to make sure his algae collection was all right, and then headed toward the doorway to join Rose. He sat down beside her and immediately noticed she wasn't in a cheery mood. He could change that.

"Funny how you can travel the universe, and yet still be mesmerized by a simple sunrise," he said.

Rose didn't break her concentration on the horizon. "It's still beautiful," she said. "All the planets and all the stars can't change that."

He hadn't thought of it that way, but he should have. Sometimes he struggled to remember the universe was still beautiful even in small ways like this.

"We never seemed to sit still," Rose went on. "Always running." She smiled at the memory. "But sometimes we'd just enjoy it. I remember one afternoon we sat in the apple grass of New New York. It was right after he changed, and I thought at first that he'd never be the same. He wasn't, really, but he was still... still my Doctor."

"That's how it works," the Doctor said, trying not to think too much about his own future regeneration. "Part of me-part of him dies, but it's still the same person underneath the odd little quirks."

"He's funnier than you."

The Doctor scoffed. "How could someone be funnier than me? Have you seen this face?"

Rose laughed, and the Doctor was glad he'd managed to brighten her morning a bit. But soon her laugh turned into a sigh. The faraway look returned to her eyes. "I miss you," she said, almost in a whisper. Then, as if waking from a dream, she turned and faced the Doctor. "I mean-"

"I know what you mean," the Doctor said.

Rose looked as if she might have been about to say something else when a loud crashing noise came from within the TARDIS. The Doctor was on his feet and running back toward the aquarium before she could even ask what was wrong. As he came closer, he realised that the algae was much more than a bunch of bacteria living on some rocks. The green substance had grown in the last few minutes, now taking on a humanoid form. It had tipped over the glass aquarium which was the source of the crash.

The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at it, hoping it worked as well as the last time, but it only caused the creature to take a step back and flail a bit.

"Who are you?" he asked, but received no reply. "Can you hear me?" Still nothing.

By this time, Rose had joined the Doctor and was hanging onto his free arm. "What is it?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"Not sure," the Doctor replied, keeping his gaze fixed on the creature. "I was right though."

Rose looked confused, and he turned and smiled at her to hide the fear in his eyes.

"It does have feelings."


	3. Darkness

**Thanks again for all the reviews and favorites and stuff. A week feels like a long time to wait to update since I have the whole story done. Thoughts?**

**Chapter Three "Darkness"**

"_Don't refocus your eyes in the darkness, and don't remember this place unless I describe all the things that you cannot see, and we'll unravel the mystery."~Owl City_

"Run!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her away from the console. They dodged shattered glass and the "arms" of the algae creature as they headed further into the TARDIS.

For a moment, Rose felt like her life suddenly made sense again. Or no longer made sense, which was what she wanted. Here she was running from an unknown monster with the Doctor. She remembered when she told Mickey that there were no average days with the Doctor. It seemed that was a constant no matter the universe.

The Doctor stopped suddenly, and Rose wasn't sure how long they had been running. She had lost track of all the twists and turns they had taken, and now had no clue where they were. But she was glad for the chance to catch her breath.

"I don't think it moves very fast," the Doctor said. "We've got maybe a minute before it catches up."

"What _is _that thing?" Rose replied.

"Some kind of bacterial life form. I've never seen one act quite like this."

"So you knew it was more than plain old algae?"

"No. I just thought it was in the wrong universe. Turns out it's even further from home than you are."

"Is it trying to hurt us?"

"I'd rather not find out the hard way. Come on."

Once again, the Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her along the dimly lit corridors through the TARDIS. They went a little slower this time, having put enough distance between themselves and the creature for the moment.

"How long can we keep running?" Rose ask, trying to hide the worry seeping through her words.

"Forever," the Doctor replied. "The TARDIS is infinite. You could spend the rest of your life in here and never get bored."

"Then why do you travel all over the universe?"

"My life is longer than yours."

The way he said it gave Rose an indefinable shudder, and she fell silent, concentrating on keeping up with the Doctor's long stride. She almost tripped over his feet when he suddenly turned into a doorway, and she would have fallen flat on her face if he hadn't been holding onto her hand still. She savoured the warmth of his fingers around hers for a moment before he let go, causing Rose to feel cold in spite of all the running. They entered the dark room, and the Doctor sealed the door behind them.

"Where are we?" Rose asked.

"Duplicate control room," the Doctor said. "The TARDIS is full of them. Every time she changes, these get archived somewhere."

"So, it's just like the one we were in before?"

"Sort of."

"What's 'sort of' mean?"

"It looks like the main control room, but we can't fly the TARDIS from here or get to the main doors."

"Then what's it for?"

"For? Well, nostalgia, mostly, but it does have some functions like..." The Doctor pressed a few buttons and pulled up a small monitor. "Aha! Yes, cameras!"

"Cameras?"

"We can see the whole TARDIS from here." He smiled as he adjusted the screen. "Now, let's find that giant bacterium."

**~oOo~**

After running into Rose, taking her to Norway, and discovering sentient algae, the Doctor was beginning to think he could get used to this. Which was a dangerous thought, indeed, because Rose would not be sticking around long if they succeeded. Even if they didn't, he had a feeling she would die trying to get back to the other him. And there was no parallel Rose, no alternate version of herself to stay behind and be for him what she was to that other Doctor. He shouldn't have been jealous. He shouldn't have wanted her to stay.

But he did.

Only a few hours into their acquaintance, and the Doctor already found himself wishing for a Rose of his own. But he'd had a lot of companions. They all left or died or got left behind somehow. Rose would be no different, even for his other self. She could spend her whole life with him, but she would die eventually. He had to know that.

The Doctor wondered why the alternate version would open himself up to that kind of pain. But he supposed that was a cross-universal truth: the Doctor opened his heart, and the Doctor got his heart broken. He should have just left her there in the street, saved himself all the trouble of getting attached to her and losing her all at once.

But Rose was never his. She belonged to that other Doctor in that other world, where maybe things weren't as bad as they were here. Where maybe he hadn't destroyed his own people, and maybe he had the luxury of being happy.

When all this was over, Rose was leaving. There was no escaping it, but the thought made the Doctor want to prolong whatever time he had with her. So, he took his time finding the algae creature on the cameras while Rose slouched on a nearby bench, staring up at the ceiling.

"Tell me about him," the Doctor said, and immediately wished he hadn't.

Rose looked at him, a bit sceptically, but didn't say no. "He's excited about everything," she said. "He's always got something to say on every subject you can think of. He wears these silly glasses he doesn't need just because he thinks they make him look clever. And he's... better at hiding the pain than you are."

The Doctor stared at Rose for a moment. He had nothing to say to that. He knew he gave off the air of a tortured soul. That was just part of this regenerative package. But he was surprised that Rose pointed it out. He didn't think she would have said it to her Doctor.

"We're all different," he said, turning back to the screen, and wishing he'd never thought to ask the question in the first place.

"You've said that," Rose replied, getting up from her seat and joining him at the console. "I don't think he's better off than you or anything. Just the little things are different, not the big ones."

"He's got you."

"No, he hasn't. 'Cause I'm here with you."

The Doctor looked at Rose once again. She was right beside him now, daring him to meet her eyes. But he couldn't. He was so certain, yet so unsure, that he had never seen those eyes before. He knew it was impossible. She didn't exist in his world. There was no Rose Tyler. She was like a ghost, taunting him with the promise of something that could never be.

"You're not with me," the Doctor said, looking back at the screen. "You'll never be with me."

Rose seemed about to say something when she gasped. "What was that?" she pointed to the screen where a shadow had just disappeared from one of the camera angles.

"Hold on," the Doctor said, turning a few knobs to find out where it went. "There we go."

The algae creature was walking slowly down a nearby corridor. It didn't seem particularly threatening from this vantage point, but it was most definitely pursuing them.

"Is it coming for us?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," the Doctor replied, trying to sound casual about it.

"Can it get in?"

The Doctor made a show of looking back at the door through which they had entered. "Don't know. Probably."

"Then should we, I don't know, run?"

He thought about that for a moment. The creature might be benign. But then, after what it did to Rose on the beach, they couldn't afford to take chances.

The Doctor nodded. "Run!"

**~oOo~**

They didn't stop until they had reached the library. Rose hadn't spent much time there in the past, but the Doctor seemed to like it, and she would often find him skimming through a stack of books on a quiet afternoon. Not that they really had many of those.

It seemed impossible that anything bad could ever happen when you were surrounded by so much silence, and the dusty smell of old volumes from every planet in the universe. But Rose knew this was only a temporary hideout until the Doctor could think of a solution to their bacteria problem.

"Are we safe here?" she asked anyway.

"What's that got to do with anything?" the Doctor replied. "It's a library. Isn't that where you go when you run into something you've never heard of before?"

"Mostly I just ask the Doctor. He goes to the library."

The Doctor shrugged. "Some things never change, I guess. Anyway, make yourself useful. There's a section on microscopic aliens over there. Something could be inhabiting the algae."

"What are you going to do?"

"First I'm going to look up shape shifting creatures that take the form of small Earth lifeforms. Then I'm going to try to find a way out of here."

He wandered off at that, leaving Rose to find her way in the darkness. It took a few moments for her eyes to focus so she could see the labels on the shelves in front of her. After a bit of searching, she found a promising looking book. Now to find a light by which to read. There was more feeling around in the dark than actual searching. Normally, one would find light switches on walls, but the TARDIS wasn't exactly normal.

Rose was about to give up when her hand ran into something soft and wet. She pulled back instinctively, and the sensation disappeared. She strained to see what it was she had touched but it was too dark.

"Where are the lights when you need them," Rose muttered.

As if in answer, and it might very well have been, a nearby lamp came on. Rose felt as if her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw the source of the wet feeling. She couldn't even scream.

The algae creature seemed to _look _at her, even though it had no eyes. I looked more like an artist's dummy than a human being. A green, fuzzy artist's dummy. It stood there in perfect silence, but Rose felt as if it were saying something to her. Not in words, but in her mind. She barely grasped the concept of _help_.

Rose found her voice. "Doctor!"

She was always calling for him, always relying on him to save the day. Without him, everything fell apart, and Rose was desperately trying to hold herself together long enough to get back to him. Things were not looking promising.

The Doctor came only a few seconds after Rose called. He used his sonic screwdriver on the creature, and this time in crumpled, as if too weak to remain standing. Then, to the surprise of both of them, it fell to the floor in a heap and disintegrated into dust.

"Did you do that?" Rose asked, horrified at the thought.

"No, it's dried out," the Doctor said. "It can't live without water."

"Doctor." Rose could hear the tremor in her own voice.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I touched it." Rose held out her hand to show a small green spot growing over the skin. "It's going to grow all over me, isn't it?"

The Doctor grabbed Rose's arm and used the sonic screwdriver again. But nothing happened. The algae remained, growing slowly, but steadily over Rose's hand.

"Why isn't it working?" she asked.

"It's evolving," the Doctor replied. "It's trying to survive."

"It's scared."

"What?"

"I heard it. Well, I didn't hear it, but I felt it. The algae is scared."

The Doctor looked very gravely at Rose. "That just makes it more dangerous. Come on."

**~oOo~**

Back in the main control room, the Doctor tried using more sea water to get the algae off or Rose. While it seemed to like the moisture, it wouldn't let go. When he tried scraping it off her skin, she said she could feel it screaming. By this time, her whole arm was covered in a thick layer of green.

"It won't kill me, will it?" she asked.

The Doctor would like to have said no. He would like to have believed the creature was friendly and meant no harm to Rose. But he simply didn't know. This creature came from another universe. It wanted to go home, and considering Rose's desperation to do the same, he could imagine this bacteria creature felt the same way.

"I won't let it," the Doctor finally said. If it came down to it, he could think of many ways to kill algae while keeping Rose alive. He didn't want to, but he would do it to save her. Already, he knew she was worth it.

"Are you going to hurt it?" she asked, as if dreading the thought of him being forced to make that choice.

"There's one other option," he said.

"What's that?"

"Getting you both back home. It's dangerous, but I think I know a way."

"I thought you said it was impossible?"

"It should be. It wasn't before the Time Lords all... died. But I know some of their old tricks. I could rip a hole in the universe that will never be repaired, but we have to try, don't we?"

Rose nodded, leaning back against the railing surrounding the console. She sunk to the floor, seeming too weary to stand any longer or even speak.

"Rose?" The Doctor crouched down to her level.

Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing very slowly. The algae had slowed down too.

"Rose!"

No response.

He couldn't lose her like this. Not after he'd barely met her. He had to get her home. He had to see for himself that there was another version of him with the chance to be happy with her.

"Wake up, Rose," he whispered.

When she still didn't reply, the Doctor did the only thing he could think of. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.


	4. Reality

**By popular demand, I will be shortening the interval between updates to three days instead of a week. Thanks again for all the reviews, especially those anonymous ones to which I have no other way of responding. **

**Chapter Four "Reality"**

_"Reality is a lovely place, but I wouldn't want to live there."~Owl City_

Rose felt as if she couldn't breathe. Was the algae killing her? She quickly realised, however, that it was only her mouth that was occupied. And she had felt this sensation before. A long time ago. She remembered the bright light, the burning. She remembered the Doctor taking it away with a kiss.

He was kissing her! The Doctor-no, not her Doctor. A different one. Oh, this had to stop. But she liked it. She felt so much better. She knew he would save her.

And she missed him. Her Doctor. The one who absorbed the energy of the time vortex to save her. The one she lost when he regenerated. She had always missed him, but she knew he was still there. Her Doctor wasn't the man kissing her, as much as it seemed like he was.

It ended though, and Rose was suddenly thrust back into reality. She was on the floor. The Doctor-but not her Doctor-had his arms around her. Something was making her neck itch, and she reached up to scratch it, but the Doctor grabbed her hand.

"Don't aggravate it," he said.

Then Rose remembered. The algae. The algae that was using her body as its new home. She could feel it again, pushing thoughts into her mind. It was afraid. Or maybe Rose was afraid, and the algae was feeling it too.

"Why isn't it getting on you?" Rose asked, looking at the Doctor and noticing he had no traces of the algae on him.

"I'm not from your universe," he replied. "It recognises you. I think it feels safe with you."

"It's in my head. It can feel what I feel."

The Doctor nodded. "I don't think it wants to hurt you."

"But what if we can't get it off?"

"We will. You just have to stay awake while I rip a hole in the universe. Think you can do that?"

Rose gave him a sleepy smile. "Think I can manage that."

"Keep talking," the Doctor said, standing up and going over to the TARDIS console.

Rose wished he could sit with her, but she leaned back against the railing and tried to think of something to say.

"I don't think our worlds are so different," she said. "You're just like he used to be. I'd forgotten how much I missed him. The way he was when he was like you." Rose laughed humourlessly. "I think I just miss him period. So much, I get confused sometimes. Can't tell what's real and what's not."

"What's reality," the Doctor said. "There's my reality and your reality, and here they are in the same place at the same time."

"A paradox," Rose said. "I look at you and I know we haven't been through all the things that happened with him, but I feel like we have. It's getting harder to remember."

"Could be the algae talking. It's in your head. What's it saying."

Rose had to concentrate for a moment. She could feel little pinpricks of thought coming from the creature. "It's still afraid," she said. "But not as much as before. It seems to be dreaming. Can algae sleep?"

The Doctor shrugged as he continued calibrating the TARDIS. "Apparently, it can."

"That's funny. I never thought of communicating with bacteria. Now it's like it's part of me, thinking in my head... I'm so tired."

"Don't go to sleep, Rose!" The Doctor came over to her again.

"I won't, I won't. Keep working."

He lingered a moment, watching her.

"We don't have time to waste," Rose said, looking into his eyes. Those same icy blue eyes she could never forget.

He nodded and went back to the console, turning his back to her. Rose watched him for a moment in silence. She had to keep telling herself he wasn't her Doctor, but watching him made her want to curl up on the floor and cry herself to sleep. She had lost him what seemed like such a long time ago. She was never getting him back, never going home.

Despair began to consume her like the bacteria growing over her skin. Tears fell down her reddening cheeks. In all of it she was silent, like the creature's cry in her mind.

_Help me_, it said.

_Find me_, Rose whispered back.

**~oOo~**

There wasn't time to keep an eye on Rose and set the TARDIS to jump the void. But excluding the latter would render the former moot, so the Doctor made his choice. He wished she would keep talking like he asked her too, but she was trailing off, and he couldn't spare the time to check on her.

This wasn't how he meant things to go. Not that he meant much of anything that happened to him, but he had fully intended to keep Rose safe. He remembered the promise he made to her mother not so long ago. It seemed like an eternity, even for him. Ever since Rose had entered the TARDIS and they'd started off on this adventure, the Doctor felt as if she'd always been there. As if she should always be there.

"Everything's getting dark," Rose said suddenly.

The Doctor spared her a glance, but he couldn't leave the console now that he had started the process.

"I feel so cold," she went on.

"Hang on, Rose." The Doctor said it more to himself, knowing she couldn't hear him any more.

"It's afraid, Doctor. It's so afraid. I have to keep it safe. Why is it so cold?"

Rose was still sitting behind him. Her eyes were open, but she didn't seem to be seeing anything. The creature was taking over completely now. The Doctor feared what it might do once it gained control of her. It could erase all traces of Rose from her mind, turning her into a shell to hold its own mind. He could only hope that he wouldn't be too late. That he would get Rose back home in time and that the creature would let her go. There was no other option. He had to return her to himself, to the world and the Doctor she knew.

All traces of the selfish idea of keeping her around were now gone. The Doctor had fully accepted that Rose would never be his. She belonged in another universe with another man. Though she claimed they were the same, they could never really be. They could never both have Rose.

He just had to get her home before any chance of saving her was lost. In a way he was doing this for himself. He had to get Rose back to that other Doctor, to give them a chance when entire universes tried to keep them apart.

Rose's voice broke through the silence. "Find me, Doctor," she whispered. "Find me."

"You heard her," the Doctor said. "I really hope you're out there because we're coming." With that, he threw the last lever to send them careening through the void, into darkness and silence, into nothing, into hell.

**~oOo~**

Rose couldn't feel anything any more. It was as if her mind had left her body lying on the floor of the TARDIS control room. And she was somewhere else. Somewhere cold and wet and dark.

"Is anyone there?" she asked, but her voice made no sound. It was as a whisper of breeze on a warm summer day.

_I am here_, she felt the words more than heard them.

_Who's that?_ Rose answered.

The response was not in words, but a sense of togetherness. Something was telling Rose it was there.

_Who are you?_

There came an idea, a beach on the ocean, grey rocks covered in green algae.

_You're the creature? The algae?_

_Are you taking me home?_ There was fear and hope behind that thought.

_The Doctor's trying to get us home._

_Doctor? I do not know Doctor._ The algae seemed very confused by this, sending Rose images of everything it could think of to match the word "Doctor."

_He's helping us. _Rose assured it, unable to explain any better than that. _He's my friend._

_He will take us home? _The hopeful thoughts returned, and the algae seemed to relax.

_Yes. The Doctor will take us home. You just have to hold on._

_You are kind, Rosebush. Kind to the Algae._

Rose imagined a smile. She couldn't see the creature. She couldn't see her own hand in front of her face. But she knew they were in this together. They wanted the same thing.

But the Doctor. He had told Rose to stay awake. Was she sleeping with the algae? Were they dreaming together?

_I need to wake up_, she thought.

_Why leave?_ the algae replied. _It's so nice here._

_It's cold and dark. I need to help the Doctor get us home. Please. I need to wake up._

Rose sensed a sorrowful attitude coming from the algae. _Go Rosebush. Help Doctor bring us home._

Suddenly, Rose felt as if something had let go of her entire body, as if she were falling through space with nothing to hang onto.


	5. A Persistent Illusion

**Thanks for all the reviews. You guys are awesome! In this chapter we get to see what's up with Rose's Doctor, as well as a flashback to Rose and the Metacrisis Doctor.**

**Chapter Five "A Persistent Illusion"**

_"Reality is merely an illusion, although a very persistent one."~Albert Einstein_

Donna was gone. It was as if she never existed. Scratch that; it was as if _he_ never existed. And it was a strange sensation. The Doctor was used to people leaving, dying, but not this. Not being the one to disappear himself. Not annihilating any traces of the time they had spent together.

Donna was his best friend, and then she wasn't. She was the voice of reason to his insanity, and the insanity to his voice of reason. But now she was nothing. Just another woman in a universe full of stranger things, when she had been the most important woman in the universe for one beautiful moment.

She had to forget, but the Doctor never would. He couldn't let go of their time together and pretend it never happened, because then it might as well not have. He was the only one in the universe who knew how amazing she really was behind all that bluster.

Alone in the TARDIS once again, the Doctor found it difficult to imagine he had been surrounded by friends only a few hours ago. All his companions of the past few years had come back to him in one form or another. And they all left again, or were sent away, as it happened. In a way, losing Donna was worse than losing Rose because he had already lost her before. The Doctor had come to the conclusion that Rose would never be with him again. Not for good. And he'd smiled and reasoned, and convinced her to let him go because she would be happier that way, and that was all that mattered.

But Donna wouldn't be happier. He didn't want to brag, even to himself, but he had made her life better, just as she had his. Of course, if she had stayed with him, she would have been in danger all the time. That was nothing new. Realistically, he knew she was better off on a human level. But then, he wasn't human.

In the silence that filled the control room, the Doctor wondered if Donna had been right. If he really did need someone to stop him. And he wondered who would do that now that she was gone. He wasn't about to go looking for someone new. All he ever did was ruin people's lives, or they left before he had the chance to. With a weak smile he remembered Jack's words: "I wish I'd never met you."

_Yes, Jack,_ he thought. _I wish none of you had ever met me._

**~oOo~**

It was a glorious spring day, or so the Doctor thought. He still thought of himself as the Doctor, even though he was half human and all that rubbish. The sun was shining boldly over London, a rare treat. It would have been perfect if not for the smell of gunpowder and burning flesh in the air.

Still, he wasn't about to complain. Not that he could get the words out had he wanted to. There was something in the way. Something salty and wet was working its way up his throat. He felt cold in spite of the sun.

And where was Rose? That was the only thing worrying the Doctor at the moment. Not the rapid loss of blood from somewhere between his head and his feet. It felt dangerously close to that one human heart, but the Doctor wasn't thinking about that. He just needed to see Rose, to know that she was all right. He could handle anything as long as that one requirement was fulfilled. But she wasn't there. She wasn't anywhere. It was as if all of reality had been condensed to the cloudless blue sky overhead and the salt weighing heavily on his tongue.

There were noises in the back of his mind, muffled, muted sounds of human voices and other things he couldn't nail down. None of the voices meant anything to him. They weren't talking to him or about him or anywhere near him. There had been an explosion, and the Doctor was thrown in a blast of debris somewhere far from everyone else. He wondered if they were searching for him, or if the carnage was too great to be searching for anything. Maybe they had all been killed. No, that wasn't possible. Rose was in there, and Rose couldn't have been killed. It wasn't allowed.

The voices began to fade away, and the Doctor realised he had closed his eyes. He thought about opening them again, but it seemed like too much trouble. He could still see the orange light of the sun through his eyelids. He tried to think, to make a plan, but nothing came to him. His mind was blank of any thoughts aside from Rose.

And where was she? It wasn't right for her not to be by his side. He'd been there, done that. It wasn't a life he was willing to live any more. He didn't have to. When the original Doctor had left Rose with him, he'd given him more than he'd given her. It was true that he needed Rose as much as his original self did. And he was selfish enough to keep her with him while the other Doctor returned to his universe alone.

It was funny to the Doctor that he had such a moment of clarity in the process of bleeding to death. He remembered dying so many times before, but never like this. It was always painful, always frightening, but more like leaving home never to return or growing up and letting go of childhood. This was very different, but he wished that Rose could be with him like she was the last time he died. He hadn't been so afraid then, knowing she would be there on the other side. There was no other side for him this time, but he was certain Rose would make it better. So many times he hadn't gotten to say goodbye. He just wanted this once.

The Doctor heard her name coming from his own lips. He felt more blood rise up his throat, and he coughed, sending waves of pain stabbing through his body. There was no more sun in the sky, no more breeze in the air, only the mind numbing agony erasing every other sensation.

Then there was a pounding in his ears, echoing through his head. As if it weren't enough to bleed out from a shrapnel wound, he had a headache too. But the more he tried to block it out, the more pronounced it got until it was a steady ringing in his ears. It almost seemed as if he could hear voices through the din.

"Doctor? Doctor!"

In his mind, it sounded like Rose calling out to him. He was hearing what he wanted to hear.

"Doctor!"

It was louder now, and he could feel something pulling at him. Suddenly there was intense pressure on his stomach, and the extra jolt of pain made his eyes fly open as he tried to gasp for air. That only made him choke again, but with his new found awareness, he could see that it hadn't been his imagination. Rose had been calling out his name. Rose was by his side again, just like she should be.

"Doctor, it's gonna be okay. I'm gonna get you help."

So many things came to the front of his mind, but he could only manage to say, "Rose..."

"Shh, it's all right. Help is coming."

The Doctor tried to smile, knowing how frightful he must look with blood coming out his mouth. "No regeneration... this time..." he managed to say.

"You're not gonna die," Rose insisted. "You can't. I'm supposed to look after you. I promised."

"You did... Rose?"

"Yes, Doctor?" She was crying now. She knew he was almost gone.

"I loved you... as much as my... one heart could..."

"I love you Doctor. I always will."

He knew she was right. "Then find me," he whispered. "I need you... more than I ever knew... You have to find me."

"Doctor, what are you talking about? You're right here. I've found you. Just stay with me."

"I can't... not like this." Talking was wearing him down much faster than waiting had, but he had to make her understand what he meant. "Not me... The Doctor."

"You are the Doctor."

"No... the real Doctor... The one who loves you... enough to let you go."

"But he didn't." Rose was beyond consolation now. Her tears dripped on the Doctor's face.

"He let you believe... I was better for you... He needed you to watch over me... Now you can go."

Rose shook her head. "I can't." There was barely any sound to her words, but the Doctor understood.

He wasn't afraid any more. Rose had taken all that away, leaving him with a sense of peace and finality. There was only one thing left to say, and as he drew his dying breath, the Doctor smiled. "There's always a way... Rose Tyler."


	6. The Spaces Between

**Thanks again to all you readers out there. Only two more chapters to go!**

**Chapter Six "The Space Between"**

_"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so."~Unknown_

Waiting was not an activity to which the Doctor was accustomed. The entire universe, anywhere in time and space, was his at a moment's notice. But now he was getting a taste of what Rose had to go through. She had waited so long to be reunited with her Doctor, and that was just one of the many reasons he was helping her. He only hoped he wasn't too late. It would be just his luck to lose her at the last minute, to be so close to giving her everything she wanted and have it ripped out from under her.

To his surprise, Rose opened her eyes and looked about the room. "How long has it been?" she asked, checking the growth of the algae on her body.

"A couple of hours, I think," the Doctor replied. "I didn't think you'd wake up again."

Rose looked at him as if trying to decide what he meant by that. She was still leaning against the railing around the console, and the Doctor came over to sit on the floor next to her.

"I thought it had your mind," he explained.

"More like... sharing," she said. "I talked to it. Not really, but we communicated. I told it you would help us, and that I needed to wake up, and it let me go. But I think it's not doing very well."

The Doctor nodded. "It hasn't grown much since you lost consciousness."

"But it'll be all right once we get back?"

"If we get back... yes."

"You think we won't make it?" Rose seemed surprised by this idea.

"I don't know anything any more." The Doctor didn't know why he was saying this to her. "There's a sort of bridge, as if the walls of reality are stretching to meet each other, making a pathway for us to cross. But it's unstable and temporary." He laughed. "We could get stranded in the void, lost for eternity with no way out."

Rose forced a smile. "At least I'll be with you then."

"I'd have to kill it, Rose. It's not going to let go of you. It can't survive on its own any more."

"Can't it just stay then? Stay a part of me?"

The Doctor shook his head. "It will take more and more of you until there's nothing left, and then you'll both be gone."

Rose put on a brave face. "We'll get through." She seemed so certain, he almost believed her.

"What if we don't?" The Doctor wasn't normally the one asking these kinds of questions. Usually he was fielding them, trying his best to reassure a frightened companion or innocent bystander. But Rose was neither. She was a fragment of another life he would never have and should never have known.

Rose put her clean hand on the side of the Doctor's face. "I saved your life once," she said. "I absorbed all the energy of the time vortex and erased spaceships full of Daleks." She smiled sadly. "And then you saved mine. You took it all away, and it killed you. What I'm trying to say, Doctor, is that we do whatever it takes for each other. We'll get through."

There was so much of what Rose said that the Doctor hadn't wanted to know. But now realizing that he had died to save her, everything seemed to fall into place. Even though there were no Rose Tyler in his universe, he was connected to her in a way even he couldn't understand. It was as if she had been imprinted on the very fabric of reality, as if Rose Tyler were the ultimate reality. And he loved her. He'd only known her for a day at the most, and he loved her. He was willing to risk the void for her. He was willing to find her and lose her all at once just so she could be happy. It didn't make him feel any better, but it was good to know. It felt right to be with her, even to face the prospect of dying for her.

"You deserve so much better," the Doctor said upon the realization of just what she was to him. "He can't love you like you deserve."

Rose shook her head. Her hand was still on his face. "All I want is as much as he can."

The Doctor nodded. "You have that. You said only the little things were different, but that isn't."

He only barely noticed the red around her eyes through his own blurred vision. Rose smiled a watery smile, and she pulled herself closer to the Doctor and kissed him softly. All the selfishness he had tried to ignore came back at that moment, telling him he could be happy with her, lying so beautifully that he believed for a moment that he could keep her with him.

It was only a moment of weakness, but it would leave scars long after Rose was gone, living happily ever after with someone who wasn't him.

**~oOo~**

Rose was so tired. She had no idea how much time had passed since they began crossing the void. She wasn't even sure if there were such a thing as time wherever they were. Maybe there was no space, either, and they weren't anywhere. It was a disconcerting thought, but she was used to thinking that way.

The Doctor had gone off a while ago, saying he had something to do which Rose couldn't remember. She couldn't imagine what he had to do at a time-or non-time-like this. She got the distinct feeling that he was distancing himself from her in anticipation of her leaving. It seemed like something he would do. He was so lonely, and she was going to disappear from existence once he got back where he belonged. Rose remembered all the times he had waited for her when she went to visit her mum, or even when they had a fight about something. He always waited for her.

She knew it wasn't the same, but it felt like she was abandoning him. He wasn't just anybody from a parallel world; he was the Doctor. He was and he wasn't the same person she had fallen in love with. It was harder to wrap her head around that than it was to accept the idea of there being no time or space in the void. The concept of nothingness of non-existence was easier to understand than the way Rose felt about the man she had met on a dark street corner yesterday. Maybe it wasn't yesterday. Maybe it was a million years ago, or maybe it was right now. Maybe all time was happening at once, and people just had to live it a little bit at a time to keep it all straight.

Rose shook her head and pulled herself up off the floor. She was going to fall asleep if she stayed there, and that seemed like a bad idea, what with the algae trying to take over her consciousness. It was a nice enough cluster of bacteria, but Rose didn't really want to surrender her mind to it. Never mind that the Doctor said it would kill both of them. Rose realized that, like the algae, she had been withering away in that world until she met something that connected her with her own world. Somehow the parallel Doctor was connected to the one Rose had known more than just being a different version of him. It was as if they really were the same person, and it was beginning to break her heart.

Leaving behind the familiar noises of the control room, Rose went in search of the kitchen. She thought a cold drink of water would help her stay awake, and she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten. She took all the right turns she remembered from before, but she ended up in the wardrobe rather than the kitchen.

Fearing that she might get lost if she went looking too far, Rose decided to return to the control room. She could always ask the Doctor about food when he got back. The control room was just the way she left it, the TARDIS making its lovely TARDIS noises. Rose had missed just being there with the Doctor. It wasn't always about the travelling and adventures, though that did take up a lot of their time. Sometimes it was just about being with him. There were times when they would just talk for hours. At least it always felt like hours. One could never tell in the TARDIS. Time didn't matter.

The Doctor came back shortly after Rose had returned. He walked in as if he hadn't been gone at all, wearing that fake smile of his that was really quite convincing, even when Rose knew it was fake. He'd smiled like that to trick her into getting back in the TARDIS when the were surrounded by Daleks. Still she couldn't be sure if he were really just that content, or if he was hiding something again.

"You're looking better," he said brightly.

"Went for a little walk," Rose replied. She didn't mention the kitchen. She wasn't feeling hungry any more for some reason.

"How's our friend?"

"Same as ever. Are we getting close then?"

The Doctor was studying the instruments on the console with great interest. "It's funny, I'm not sure what it is, but something's pulling us through faster than I anticipated."

"Something?" Rose asked, joining him at the console.

The Doctor looked a mix of curiosity and amusement. "It's like there's something else here. Which should be impossible because there is no here. We are nowhere."

"That's... reassuring. Is this thing doing anything else?"

"Don't think so-oh, hang on. There are words."

"Words?"

"Yeah, something coming through the TARDIS communication system. It's a bit fuzzy. Looks like... 'bad...wolf'?"

Rose felt her heart leap into her throat. "Follow it," she gasped, feeling a bit dizzy.

"What?"

"Follow it, Doctor. That's me." Rose suddenly felt the need to sit down, and she did, right in the middle of the floor.

The Doctor looked down at her, concerned. "You?"

"I am the Bad Wolf," Rose said, almost laughing, a look of relief written across her face. Then she lost consciousness.


	7. Home

**The moment you've all been waiting for. Or dreading. Either way, there's only one more chapter after this. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Seven "Home"**

_"Dive in and swim away from your loneliness and miserable days. And when you wake up on your own, look around you 'cause you're not alone. Let your hopes go, and they'll survive 'cause this is the future, and you are alive. You're headed home."~Owl City_

The Doctor didn't have time to wonder what was going on when the TARDIS suddenly began moving even faster than before. Faster than it should. Rose was unconscious on the floor, there were strange words in the void, and now they were being sucked through to another universe much, much too quickly. At this rate, they were going to crash very hard.

To top it all off, the Doctor was still thinking about going home without Rose. Not that he would live long enough to see that happen at this rate, but for some reason, the thought just wouldn't go away. There was a part of him that wanted to shout, "It's not fair!" Shouldn't there be another version of Rose just as there was another version of himself? If only small changes occurred from universe to universe, then why was Rose not there? She wasn't a small change. She meant everything to him, even though he still wasn't sure why. She had mentioned things they had faced together, and he got the feeling she had barely scratched the surface. Rose wasn't just a little deviation in a parallel world. Rose wasn't just another human.

It didn't matter now. Or shouldn't because things were about to get very ugly, and Rose might not even live to see her own world again. Even if the Doctor could manage to land safely, she might be too far lost to the algae to come back from it. Maybe that wasn't death, but it was about the closest you could come without actually physically dying. She would lose herself, her memories, everything that made her Rose Tyler. And she would become a host to a sentient form of green scum. It was difficult for the Doctor to sympathise with the terrified bacteria at this point. If it took Rose from him...

From him? How could it take Rose from him? She wasn't his.

Trying to focus on surviving a descent into an unfamiliar world, the Doctor began engaging every breaking mechanism he could find. Nothing seemed to slow the TARDIS, however. Whatever this Bad Wolf was, it wasn't letting go.

What did Rose mean by saying it was her? How could she be the words in the void? At that thought, the Doctor remembered her telling him about looking into the heart of the TARDIS and absorbing the energy of the Time Vortex. Even he didn't know what that could do. Maybe she had done something then that had ripple effects throughout all of creation.

It was a nice theory anyway, but largely irrelevant at the moment since the Doctor was fairly certain they were both going to die in a fiery crash. He had done all he could to slow down their landing, but nothing helped, and now they were free falling.

The Doctor stepped away from the console, steadying himself on the railing. "I can't stop it," he said out loud, even though he knew Rose couldn't hear him.

Then, as if struck by lightning, the Doctor jumped forward and grabbed the console. "Of course!" he exclaimed.

It might not work. There probably wasn't time now. But he had to try. So, he sent a message as fast as he could, knowing the other Doctor would receive it on his psychic paper wherever and whenever he was. It was such a long shot, but it just might work.

The Doctor lost his footing as the TARDIS suddenly stopped moving. They hadn't crashed. Reading the scanners, the Doctor saw that they had been caught in a gravitational beam. The other Doctor had come to their rescue after all.

With equal parts excitement and dread, the Doctor went over to Rose to try to wake her, but no matter what he did, she wouldn't even stir.

"Come on, Rose," the Doctor said. "Not when you're so close."

By this time, the TARDIS had been brought down to the planet, and the Doctor realised that he was going to have to face the other one. But he had one thing to do first. Lifting Rose in his arms, the Doctor headed for the door. He took a deep breath before stepping outside to find that they were parked on a deserted beach. A short distance away was another TARDIS, and the man exiting it looked nothing like how the Doctor would have imagined himself. But he didn't have time to worry about that. Though he knew the other Doctor was running toward them, he had to get Rose in the water. It was the only way he could think to save her from the algae if it were still possible. He wasn't sure why the other Doctor had chosen to land them on a beach, but at the moment, he was only thankful for it.

All the jostling around and even the shock of cold water did nothing to waken Rose. The Doctor held her head above the surf as he watched to see what the algae would do. At first, nothing seemed to change. Then after a moment, as if it were getting used to the water, the algae began to fall off her skin and be carried away on the waves.

There was nothing but joy as the Doctor watched Rose open her eyes and blink in the sunlight. She moaned softly, and then seemed to discover where she was.

"Why am I all wet?" she said.

"You're home, Rose," the Doctor said.

And it was all he needed to say. Rose leapt out of his arms, standing in the knee-deep foam looking all around her. She stopped when she saw the tall figure standing at the tide line. There was no hesitation, no looking back. Rose ran as best she could through the water, ran back to her Doctor.

It was then the Doctor knew, really knew, that everything he felt for her was just that, a feeling. That it would fade over time, and all that would remain was the stinging memory of giving someone everything they wanted at the expense of everything he wanted. It was right that Rose should be here with the Doctor she knew. That didn't make it easier, but it was true.

He wasn't losing her. She had never existed.

**~oOo~**

Freezing and wet, tired and hungry, Rose ran as fast as she could in soaked jeans and knee-deep surf. She had felt the algae leaving, sensed thoughts of "goodbye." It left a lingering sadness, but she was quickly forgetting about it.

There was the little matter of being soaked to the skin, but that didn't stop Rose from nearly knocking the Doctor to the ground with her hug. He stumbled back a bit, then wrapped his arms around her and spun around once.

She was home. Really home. This wasn't just another dream tormenting her over and over again. She was here in her Doctor's arms, and everything was going to be okay.

Rose didn't want to let go, but she had to. She had to explain so many things. The Doctor looked at her in shock and disbelief and something else that might have been every possible emotion at once.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. His voice was coated with confusion and concern. There was something in his eyes that showed the conflicting happiness at seeing her again, but the fear of what must have happened to bring her back. Rose didn't want to, but she had to tell him the truth.

"I'm sorry," she began. "I... I couldn't save him." The memory of that day brought tears to Rose's eyes. "I tried to do what you said, but, but he's dead. I'm sorry."

The Doctor put his hands on her face, stringy wet hair sticking to his fingers. "Don't," he said. "It's not your fault."

"I asked him to come. We were under attack. I thought he could help. I thought..." Rose stifled a sob. "I thought it would be like always. That we'd make it out alive just barely."

"Rose." The way he said her name made everything else seem irrelevant.

"Doctor," she replied, smiling now.

"How did you get here?"

"He told me to find you. I thought it was impossible, but..."

"And that's another thing." The Doctor looked over at the other version of himself who had also come out of the water and was standing a bit away from them. "Why don't I remember this?"

The other Doctor replied, "Because I'm not you."

Rose shrugged. "Parallel world, parallel Doctor."

"But I thought..." The Doctor trailed off.

"That you were the only one?" the other said.

"No." The Doctor shook his head. "I thought that I was dead in that world because there was no Rose."

The weight of those words caused everyone to fall into silence. The three of them stood there on the beach for what seemed like a very long time before the other Doctor broke the silence.

"Well, I guess it could be worse," he said, regarding his other self. "At least now I know what to expect."

"How did you find Rose?"

"I didn't. Just ran into her one evening, and she asked for a lift to a parallel universe. Talk about a strange first date."

"Did you really?" The Doctor looked at Rose.

"Well, sort of. I think I explained it better than that."

"I could never say no to you back then."

"So I guess the universes aren't so different?"

"Except that you're not there," the other Doctor said.

"And that's huge," the Doctor said.

Finally Rose began to feel what her actions might do. She had managed to get home, but in order to be with one Doctor, she was leaving another behind in a world where her absence might change his life completely. It already had in some ways.

"What about the others?" Rose asked. "Jack and Martha and Donna and everyone? They all exist. I checked. He might still meet them."

"You probably shouldn't be telling," the Doctor said. "I always met people in unexpected ways. To know what was might happen would have changed things."

"She's already given away too much," the other Doctor said.

"In that case," the Doctor said with a serious expression, "if you do meet someone named Donna, look after her. Everyone else will probably be fine if they never meet you, but take care of Donna."

The other Doctor nodded. He couldn't know what that would mean, but Rose hoped, for his sake, that he would meet Donna. She had a feeling they might get along quite well. Or kill each other, but that was always a concern.

"I should go," the other Doctor said, and turned to head back to his TARDIS.

"Wait." Rose followed him and gave him a wet hug. He was soaked too, so it didn't matter much. "Can you do one last thing for me."

"Anything."

"Just let my mum know I made it, and everything's okay. And take care of yourself. Remember how beautiful the universe is."

"I will." He smiled, probably more for Rose's benefit. "I'm glad to have met you, Rose Tyler."

He left her standing there on the beach and returned to the TARDIS. It was only a few seconds before he was gone completely, and Rose realised that she would never see him again. She wouldn't cry though. She was home, and that was all that mattered. He would be all right. She was certain of it.


	8. Happiness

**Chapter Eight "Happiness"**

_"The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before. That's the deal."~C.S. Lewis_

The familiar sounds of the TARDIS were beginning to make Rose feel sleepy. Somehow it was different being back in her own world. Everything seemed to fit better; she wasn't sure why. The Doctor was the same as he had always been, her Doctor, the one and only. Sort of. He was acting a bit strange after a while though, tinkering about the console, responding to Rose in one or two words instead of the lively conversation she had expected.

"Is something wrong, Doctor?" Rose asked, standing next to him at the console.

"No, nothing," he replied giving her that earth-shattering smile, the one she fell for every time, even when she knew it was fake.

She should have known better by now. But Rose wanted to believe the Doctor was as happy as she was. She wanted him to be exactly as she had last seen him, telling her about how everything was going to be okay, how he'd be fine with Donna. No, Donna had said that, and she wasn't here.

"Where's Donna?" Rose asked as the thought hit her. She didn't think about the possible implications of the question until the Doctor gave her a sad look.

"She had to go," he said with no further explanation.

"What'd you mean she had to go? Where?"

"Home. She's fine. Great. Mostly."

"Why don't you just tell me what happened? Because I don't understand why she would ever go home after what happened. She said she'd stay with you forever."

"Well, she couldn't. She wanted to, but she had to go."

Rose could tell the Doctor didn't want to talk about this. It was obviously painful, as it must have been when Rose herself was trapped in the parallel world. But she needed him to talk about it. She had been counting on Donna to take care of the Doctor in her absence, but now she wasn't here, and Rose needed to know why.

"It must have been something bad," Rose said.

"Yes," the Doctor replied. Throughout this whole conversation, he hadn't looked at Rose, still pretending to be busy with his puttering.

"Why can't you tell me?"

"I can." The Doctor turned his head and looked Rose in the eye. "I just don't want to." The sadness in his words permeated the entire room. The look on his face broke Rose's heart, and she could only imagine what terrible memories she was dragging up.

"All right," she said softly. "You don't have to tell me. But I'm sorry she's not here. I always hoped she'd keep an eye on you for me."

The Doctor tried to laugh, but it came out wrong, like a strangled sob he couldn't quite get out. Rose wrapped her arms around his shoulders, knowing he didn't want her to see him cry. He was so quiet, it was as if he weren't even there, but Rose could feel the soft, worn fabric of his pinstriped suit and smell that singular Doctor smell. She closed her eyes and tried to believe everything would be all right. But she knew that coming home was only half the battle of getting her Doctor back.

After a while, the Doctor let go of Rose and turned around in a circle. "What do you want to do?" he asked. "It's been so long, we should go somewhere amazing. Spectacular. Fantastic."

Rose laughed. "You know what I want more than anything?"

The Doctor looked at her for a second, trying to guess what she wanted. "Chips?"

Rose grinned in surprise and delight. "Yeah, chips."

**~oOo~**

Since Rose was hungry, and they were back in London by that time anyway, the Doctor decided on a nice dinner instead of just chips. Rose explored the wardrobe for some dry clothes, and she came out in a sleeveless black dress with a red sweater. She had put her hair up loosely as she usually did, and looked somehow just like she should. Just like Rose.

They found a place that served chips amongst other more substantial things, and over dinner they talked about what had happened since they last saw each other. The nice things, anyway. There were a lot of gaps in their stories. The Doctor left out everything about Donna, his trip to Mars, and the prophecy of the Ood. However, he knew he would soon have to tell Rose about all of it. He couldn't keep travelling the universe without her knowing what could be coming at any time.

But he didn't say anything over dinner. They were having a good time, and Rose was smiling and laughing. The Doctor would hold onto that for as long as possible. Time never meant much to him except where she was concerned. There never seemed to be enough of it. Having her back now was a strange gift he had never anticipated. To be with Rose just before he died was a convoluted mix of happiness and pain.

There was a side of the Doctor that would have liked to stay this way, to keep on smiling and laughing and enjoy what little time he had left. But as they left the restaurant and stepped out into the cold night air, the Doctor knew he had to tell her everything.

Rose beat him to it though. As they walked back toward the TARDIS, hand in hand, she stopped in the deserted street. "Doctor, do you still want me to travel with you?"

The question seemed utterly absurd, but he quickly realised why she would ask. He had been distant since she arrived. "Yes!" he insisted. "Of course I do. That's all I've ever wanted since I met you. Rose, you made me who I am. Don't you remember?"

Rose nodded. "It's about Donna then?"

"No. Really, it's not." He wasn't sure how convincing that sounded. "There's something else though, and I've been trying to figure out how to avoid making it sound really horrible."

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Wellll, you might say that. See, I'm going to die. I don't know exactly when, but it's going to be soon. Relatively. I've been trying to avoid it, but I don't think I can keep it up. But now that you're here, that complicates things."

Rose stared for a moment like she did when he said something very complicated. Only this wasn't that complicated. She let go of his hand. "What do you mean, you're gonna die?" she finally said. "What's that mean? You don't die."

"No, but this me is going to die. I'm going to change again. I can't stop it."

"How do you know? Is there some kind of-of expiration date on Time Lord regenerations?"

"Nothing like that. There's a prophecy that says I'm going to die. It's a long story."

"But-but you can't. You just can't! I just got here!"

"Rose, I know. I never thought I'd see you again, and here you are, and that's impossible." The Doctor smiled at her. "I can't stop what's going to happen. I don't want it to happen. But that doesn't have to destroy the time we have left."

"So I just came back for what? A... farewell tour?"

"No, it's a chance to... to be happy for a while."

"For a while. Then what? You turn into someone else and I have to start all over again?"

"Rose, if you hadn't come I would have died alone. Now, I know whatever happens, you'll be there on the other side. I know it's not easy for you. Believe me, I don't like it either."

"Then why are you so calm about this?"

"Calm? I've been travelling all over the universe trying to avoid whatever's coming. I don't want to die, Rose. It's not like humans dying, but it feels like it. I am who I am because of you, and I don't want to lose that. But now that you're here, I know whatever I become won't be because I lost you, but because I found you again. Whoever I become will be better because of you."

Rose stared for a moment, as if she couldn't process the whole thing. "How soon is it?" she asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor replied. "Do you want to leave?"

"You asked me that once before," Rose said. "And I wasn't sure of the answer because I didn't know you then. I stayed, and I'm glad I did." Rose took a deep breath. "Whatever happens, Doctor, I'm staying with you. You need someone to look after you."

He smiled like a kid at Christmas, and Rose knew that was his real smile, the one he got when she had said she would travel with him forever or when she came back to him the last time.

He took her hand, and they started walking again. "Did I ever tell you Rose Tyler," the Doctor said, "I love you?"

Rose looked up at him, but he wasn't looking at her. He was still smiling, though, and there was a spring in his step. "No," Rose said. "But I've always known."

The End.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who read this story, reviewed, and added it to your favorites and alerts. I am really thrilled by the response I've gotten. Thanks also to my wonderful beta, Kex3. I had so much fun working on this story. For those who might be wondering, I'm working on ideas for a sequel, but I haven't sorted it all out yet, so I don't know when that might be coming. I also have plenty of ideas for other Doctor Who stories that I may be posting in the future.**

**Allons-y!**


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